The inventive concept relates generally to semiconductor memory devices and flash memory devices in particularly. The inventive concept also relates to methods of programming/reading flash memory devices that address the problem program disturbance between adjacent memory cells.
Non-volatile memory is characterized by an ability to retain stored data in the absence of applied power. Flash memory is one type of non-volatile memory. Due to its high integration density, flash memory is commonly used in mobile devices such as cellular phones, personal digital assistant (PDA) digital cameras, portable game consoles, and M(P3) players. Flash memory is also used in home applications such as high definition televisions (HDTVs), digital versatile discs (DVDs), routers, and global positioning system (GPS) devices. Within these and other types of consumer electronics, flash memory is used to store programming code and/or payload (or user) data.
Flash memory may be provided with single level (SLC) memory cells or multi level cell (MLC) memory cells. Within MLC flash memory, it is important to secure the reliability of the multi-bit data stored in each memory cell. In this regard, the programming errors potentially arising from the so-called “program disturb” phenomenon must be addressed.